


Privilege

by paynesgrey



Category: Glee
Genre: Subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-09
Updated: 2009-11-09
Packaged: 2020-10-03 18:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20457383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paynesgrey/pseuds/paynesgrey
Summary: Quinn gives Will one of the best gifts he's ever received.





	Privilege

He’s heading back from the teacher’s lounge that morning when something strikes him. Will Schuester smiles as he sees Quinn Fabray and Finn Hudson laughing together in the hall. They have precious little to be happy about these days, especially when being teen parents. Will knows they have a lot ahead of them, so he notices the moments they have of peace, no matter how small. He hopes they appreciate them.

“Can I feel?” Finn asks shyly. Will watches as a blush rises to Quinn’s cheeks. She stops, and their eyes meet and she nods.

“I don’t know if you’ll feel anything,” she says and tilts her head. “She’s been pretty quiet all morning.”

Will watches with awe as Finn’s hand stretches out and hovers over her stomach. They don’t even look around to see if anyone’s watching; they are lost in their own delicate moment.

Finally, Finn places his hand over Quinn’s creamy white shirt, and he smiles and sighs heavily. They both chuckle, and Quinn’s mouth opens.

“I think she knows you’re here. I felt something.” Finn is supremely happy, and Quinn watches him with gratitude in her eyes. Will notices sadness there, and he wonders how much weight she has on her shoulders. She looks even more thankful for Finn’s support.

Will is infinitely jealous. Terri still isn’t letting him touch her stomach. She freaks out and picks fights when he dares suggest it, so Will leaves it alone. He wonders if he’ll ever feel his baby kicking, or if he’ll even feel any validation that his baby is really there, growing inside her.

Will shakes his head and starts walking toward his class past Finn and Quinn’s special moment. He frowns, and he can’t help but curb his own disappointment. They seem so happy, so tender, and yet he feels further away from Terri than ever.

“Mr. Schuester?” It’s Quinn’s voice, and he pauses with surprise. He turns around and expects to see them both beaming at him like angels. Instead, it’s just Quinn who calls him. Finn is already bolting to his next class.

Quinn grins at him, but he knows that she’s depressed for getting kicked off the cheer squad. She’s been upset about other things besides her baby, like her popularity dropping and finding that Glee is her only salvation – as much as she initially disliked the notoriety of the club. At least she admits she enjoys it.

“Quinn, hey. How are you feeling this morning?” he asks with genuine concern.

She smiles prettier, and he notices the way her cheeks become pronounced as her lips stretch higher. Her eyes sparkle at him, and she steps closer.

“I’m fine,” she says, and she shakes her head. “I want to thank you Mr. Schuester. I didn’t know what to do when I was kicked off cheer squad. I had no idea she’d do that to me.” He already senses tears.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” he says, and he puts a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You’re a great cheerleader, Quinn, and I really believe you’d be just as good now as you were then. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my decision to make.” He lets out a quick sigh and tries to put on a cheerful face. “But you’ll always be welcome at Glee.”

“I know,” she says, and she lifts her chin with pride. Will suspects she’s about ready to leave for class, but instead she makes a face. She backs into her locker with a grimace. “Oh! That was a strong one!”

“The baby?” Will asks, and he sounds delightfully more interested than he probably should. Quinn laughs a little and nods her head.

“All of the sudden she’s feistier than usual,” she says. She tries to recover, and she puts her hand on her stomach, patting it and then massaging it. Will puts a hand on her shoulder gently, and he watches Quinn’s expression and hopes she’s not ill.

Suddenly, the bell rings and the halls become clear. Quinn stands there motionless, and Will realizes she’s relishing the moment. He just hopes she’s not in pain.

“You don’t need a nurse do you?” he asks.

“No,” she says, and she lets out another strained sigh. “Mr. Schuester…”

He watches her curiously as their eyes meet. There’s a strange expression on her face. She doesn’t seem in pain; in fact, Will Schuester sees something else – relief, and he senses that it isn’t physical. She looks on him like her savior, and he doesn’t think it’s just because he’s welcomed her so much in Glee.

Her hand is over his on her shoulder, and she pulls it away. “Do you want to… do you want to feel her?”

Will freezes and holds back a gasp. He doesn’t know what to say. He feels honored; not even Terri shares this privilege with him. Quinn is just his student, a kind girl who’s learning so much about friendship and responsibility in only a short time. Months ago Quinn was in another world – immature and superficial inside a world based on misspent days of youth. Now, she’s growing as an adult right before his eyes. Surely, others have noticed it, and this one kind gesture just leaves him speechless.

She doesn’t have to do this. She doesn’t have to give him this moment, so intimate that it may even be frowned upon if someone were to see.

Quinn doesn’t seem to care; she’s waiting on edge for his response. She doesn’t want his answer to be disappointing.

“Wow, sure,” he says quietly, and his hand falls naturally to her stomach, and it shakes a little, and Will is supremely glad her white shirt is so thick, but just thin enough so he can feel the baby’s movements through the layers against his palm.

He lets out the gasp he’s been holding as the baby responds to him. Quinn giggles at him, and he keeps his hand there longer when she makes no protest of it, and she doesn’t push him away.

“That’s amazing,” he says. The vibrations thrum though his hand and fingers, and he can feel the warmth and life beating within her.

He pulls his hand away slowly, and their eyes lock in a beat. He’s never felt more grateful. He feels closer to this young mother than his own wife, and yet the realization does not taint him.

“Thank you,” he says, and Quinn reddens a little. She turns around and pulls her books out of the open locker, and she meets his eyes again. He still feels the warmth on his hands, and he wishes it would never fade away. He just wishes Terri could be this open with him, but he’s supremely blessed that Quinn is.

“Well, I better get to class,” Quinn says. She’s still smiling when she adds, “I’m already late.”

“Let me write you a pass then,” he says, digging for the notes in his pocket. Quinn thanks him again as he hands it to her, and he watches her as she leaves. She turns around to smile at him again before she disappears into her classroom. Will looks down at his hand when she’s gone, and he laughs to himself before heading to his own class.

He almost wants to tell Terri about this, that Quinn let him touch her stomach and had no fear of him at all. He’s not even the father of her child, and she lets him. He wonders if that will convince her then, to let him feel the movements of his own daughter.

Then again, he knows how Terri is, and he suspects it might still be impossible. However, Will Schuester isn’t distressed.

He at least knows what it feels like now – the life of a child growing and moving around inside its mother, a privilege he was sure he didn’t deserve.

All of this is thanks to the unexpected gift from Quinn Fabray.

END


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